§ Mr. LewisTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the latest figure for the reduction in jobs in the manufacturing sector since 1979: and what has been the figure for each of the past five years in(a) the Bolton and Bury travel-to-work areas and (b) the rest of the north-west area.
§ Mr. NichollsThe number of employees in employment in the United Kingdom in the manufacturing sector fell by 2,013,000 (27.7 per cent.) between June 1979 and December 1989.
Information about employment in travel-to-work areas is available only from the census of employment. The latest available figures are for September 1987; the earliest on a comparable basis are for September 1981. Between these two dates, the number of employees in employment in the manufacturing industry sector in the Bolton and Bury travel-to-work area fell by 9,600 or 15 per cent.
Changes in employees in employment for the north-west region in the manufacturing sector in each of the past five years are as follows:
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Employees in employment—north-west region Manufacturing industries (SIC 1980 divisions 2 to 4) December Number (thousands)1 Yearly change (thousands)1 Yearly percentage change 1985 670 5 0.8 1986 659 -11 -1.7 1987 668 10 1.5
December Number (thousands)1 Yearly change (thousands)1 Yearly percentage change 1988 688 20 2.9 1989 685 -2 -0.4 1 Unadjusted for seasonal variations.